


Old Friends: A Christmas Story

by Debi_C



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Christmas, Clone Jack O'Neill UST, Clones, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-13
Updated: 2011-10-13
Packaged: 2017-10-24 14:04:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/264284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Debi_C/pseuds/Debi_C
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack and Daniel have an unexpected guest for the Christmas holiday</p>
            </blockquote>





	Old Friends: A Christmas Story

**Author's Note:**

> This was written long before Second Chances but it could be considered a prequel or just a stand alone.

Chapter 1 The Surprise Guest

Team SG-1 filed into the General's briefing room and was surprised at Hammond's guest, sitting at the table. The apparent fifteen-year-old boy, dressed in a red checked flannel shirt and jeans, was playing with a black plastic ballpoint pen, taking it apart and putting it back together again. Colonel O'Neill frowned at him and his actions. The rest of the team just looked curious and anticipatory.

Daniel was the first of them to speak to the youngster. The Archaeologist pulled out a chair across the table from him. "Hello, Jon."

"Hi, Daniel." The dark brown eyes met his for a long moment before returning to the disassembled writing instrument.

"How have you been?" Daniel continued to try to break the tension in the room.

"Oh, okay, you know, schoolwork, finals, reports, that sort of stuff." He flashed a smile at the archaeologist.

Daniel nodded, glancing at Jack who was pulling out a chair beside Daniel, studiously ignoring the exchange.

"How are you doing?" Jon asked cautiously.

Daniel's eyes snapped back to the teenager. "Oh, you know, work, translations, missions; but good. Everything's fine."

"Uh, that's good, I mean swell."

"Swell?" Jack looked askance at the youngster seated across from him. "Swell?"

"What's wrong with swell? It's a word!" Daniel defended Jon to the older man.

"I never said swell!" The Colonel said, looking at him cynically.

"Which just proves that that I'm not you anymore!" Jon snapped back defensively.

General Hammond entered the room. The team began to rise and he waved them back to their seats. He settled at the head of the table, waited a few moments then finally spoke up. "Gentlemen, please. Colonel, calm down."

"I'm calm, Sir. I just wasn't expecting to find him here." O'Neill looked uncomfortable.

"Your mini-me?" Jon said sarcastically, looking at the Colonel.

"Yeah, you could say that."

Hammond looked around the table at the others. When they were all settled in their respective seats, the General cleared his throat then began. "Perhaps you're wondering why Jon is here with us today."

The two O'Neills looked at each other and finally Jack broke the silence. "Yes Sir, I guess I am a little curious."

"Well, Colonel, one of the stipulations of his status as an emancipated minor was to keep in touch with me so that I could monitor his security."

Jack looked over at his younger self. "Oh, okay, I can buy that."

"Well," The General looked discomfited. "I have a little situation."

Jack stood up and leaned across the table looking over at the fifteen-year-old. "What did you do?" he demanded."

"Nothing!" Jon replied hotly, also coming to his feet. "Why do you think it was me? I didn't do anything!"

"Colonel O'Neill, please, sit down." Hammond looked back and forth between the two of them, finally raising his voice. "Both of you!"

When they were both seated again, Hammond glared at his second in command. "As I was saying, Colonel. I have a little situation. Unbeknownst to me, my family has made reservations for us to fly back to San Angelo for Christmas." Hammond looked a little embarrassed. "I had planned for Jon to spend the holiday at my house, since school's out and all and I'd love for him to come to Texas with us but when I called the airlines for another ticket...well, there weren't any available." He looked sadly at the teenager. "I'm really sorry, son."

Jon looked at him stolidly. "General Hammond, I certainly didn't expect to be a bother to you, especially during the holidays. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Daniel who had been sitting quietly during the two Jacks' earlier performance spoke up. "Jon, you can spend it with us."

Jon looked in his direction, then rapidly suppressed any expression of hope that might have accidentally appeared on his face. "No, Daniel, I know that you all have plans for Christmas. I'll be fine."

"Yes, we do, but it just includes us four." He looked at Jack who looked back at him expressionlessly. "So we'll just set an extra plate."

"Yes," Carter agreed, chiming in. "It'll be fun, just the five of us."

"No, Carter," Jon frowned in her direction. "It will be weird."

"No, it won't. Besides, I thought this was the whole idea of Christmas," Daniel put in. "Friends and family getting together."

"Indeed, O'Neill, is that not what you have said to me when explaining this holiday?"

"Well, somehow I don't think my mother had planned on raising another teenager." Jack put in dryly.

The rest of SG-1 frankly stared at their Colonel. Finally, Carter said. "You have a mother?"

"What? You think the Air Force found me under a cabbage leaf or something? Of course I have a mother," O'Neill groused. "She and I just haven't talked...much...lately."

"Yeah, for the last ten years." Jon said just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Okay, that's enough out of you." Jack shot back.

"Oh, yeah, like it's my fault. I didn't even exist until six months ago."

The two Jacks both lounged out of their chairs. Daniel grabbed Jack by his shoulders and Teal'c reached for Jon, who ducked but failed to elude the big man's reach.

"Stop it you two!" Daniel said loudly. "This is going to work. We're going to make it work. Just give it a rest, okay?"

The two O'Neill's stood glowering at each other over the briefing room table.

\-------

Daniel hastened his pace to catch up with his team leader. "Jack, I don't get it. Why do you dislike him so much?"

Jack looked back at him and shook his head. "Daniel, I know him. I know what he's capable of. It's scary."

"Why? Why is it scary? What are you scared of? He's you!"

"Yeah, I know. I don't like me; I don't like him." He turned and strode down the hall.

They reached Jack's little-used office. The two of them went in and closed the door so they could finish their discussion in peace. "But Jack, I love you."

The older man turned to look at Daniel with warm brown eyes. "I know and I love you...too much to risk it."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"That's why. Are you jealous?"

"No, yes, I don't know."

"Are you jealous of him...and me?"

Jack just looked at him. "Yes, I am. I love you, and so does he."

"No, he doesn't." Daniel denied.

"Yes, he does." Jack sighed and leaned back on his desk top.

"How do you know?"

"Cause I'm him....and he wants you...badly." Jack said harshly. "I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you."

"Doesn't it matter that I only want you?"

"No."

"No? Why?" The younger looked at him in dismay

"Cause you shouldn't." O'Neill sighed and shook his head. "You should want him. It makes more sense. He's younger, better looking, not scarred, not lame, and not old."

"Not tall, not silver, not the man who's saved my life. He's not you." Daniel protested

"Yes, he is...he is me, and I know how I am."

Daniel looked at him and shook his head. "Okay, maybe he does. Maybe he loves me or thinks he does any way. But it won't last. It can't."

"Why not?" Jack set his jaw. He knew himself too well to believe that.

Daniel came and stood by his lover. He smiled. "Jack, what do you see when you look at me?"

"What?" O'Neill looked up into the blue eyes. "I see the best person I know, the most beautiful person I know...and that boy knows it too."

"Hey, Jack. Wake up call." He slipped his arms around the other man's torso and pulled him in close. "Look at me again. I'm not a boy anymore. I'm almost forty and it's been a hard forty too. I'm not the same stupid geek I was when I met you. I've aged."

"So have I and you don't care." Jack hugged him back, taking a breath of Daniel in his nose.

"Yes, but you're only thirteen years older than I am. I'm twenty-two years older than he is. That's nine more years' difference even than is between us. When you're seventy, I'll be fifty-seven and he'll be thirty-five. That's the difference." Daniel smiled at Jack. "He may be a mini-you, but he's also a younger you. He'll want someone his own age group. Not an ancient archaeologist." he said to O'Neill teasingly. "After all, you are attracted to younger men."

"Oh," Jack looked at him in surprise. When it was put to him like that, it made it a little better.

Seeing Jack's thoughtful expression Daniel continued. "So you see, he may think he wants me now, but in a while, he's going to realize that he doesn't really want a crazy old social scientist."

"Maybe, but it may take him a few years to figure that out. We are talking about Jack O'Neill here."

"Believe me when I tell you, Jack. You have nothing to worry about."

O'Neill looked at him rakishly. "Oh, okay, but then maybe you do."

"I do?" The younger man gave him the raised eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah." Jack finally grinned at him. "You are so stuck with me."

"That's a good thing," Daniel answered him easily. "A very good thing."

\-------

Daniel went by Doctor Fraiser's office to collect their houseguest He came in at the end of a conversation between Jon and Janet Fraiser.

"So if you're careful with sports, you should be better able to avoid some of the Colonel's physical problems when you reach his age."

Jackson stopped a distance away not wanting to interrupt. When the two stopped talking and looked at him he finally spoke. "Hello."

Jon hopped off the exam table and looked at Janet. He was still taller than she was and she still scared him somehow. "So, how are you, Daniel?"

"Good, I'm good. How've you been?" Daniel continued as Janet left shaking her head.

"Has he been treating you all right?"

"Oh, he's okay." The two started down the hallway. "You know it's been kind of weird being back here, I'm still remembering things from before."

Jon nodded. "That's good." They walked towards the elevator. "So what did he say...about me?"

"Oh, you know," Daniel turned and looked over his glasses at the youngster. "We argued, I won."

Jon looked at him dubiously, "How did you manage that?"

"The way I always do."

"You baffled him with bull shit?"

"No, " Daniel chuckled. "I told him the truth."

"That he's an asshole?"

"No, Jon. He's not." The scientist shoved his glassed up to their proper place, frowned at the youngster and then stuck his hands in his pockets. "He's a little jealous, but I told him he didn't have to worry."

"About...?"

"Us."

"Which us?" The teenager looked at him curiously. "You and him us or me and you us."

"Either us actually, he doesn't have to be jealous because there is no you and me us."

"Oh," Jon sounded disappointed. "There isn't?"

Daniel shook his head. "No, Jon, there isn't. Look, we...you and I...can be friends. I can help you with your homework...not saying you need it or anything." he added quickly. "I can be your buddy...but that's it."

Jon looked at up at him with a frown. "Why? You know how I feel, Daniel. That hasn't changed any."

"I know." They stopped at the elevator then entered the arriving car. "Look, I do care about you, but not in that way. For one thing, I could be arrested for pedophilia...for another, well; you have your whole life ahead of you. You don't need me."

"But...Danny..." He stopped talking as they exited the elevator and two airmen walked by. They stayed silent until they entered Daniel's laboratory and closed the door. Then Jon turned around, pulled Daniel down to him and kissed him.

The older man stood still, not moving or reacting to the unexpected contact. Finally, he gently took Jon's hands in his and pulled them away from him. "No, Jon." Daniel released him and went over to the couch and sat down. "That's not going to work for us. Look, I love Jack. You of all people know that. I love my Jack, the mature..."

"Old" Jon put in angrily as he came and stood over him at the couch .

"Handsome"

"Gray, scarred, crippled, "

"Man."

"Asshole."

"He's not."

"He is, and he's not good enough for you...and he knows it." Jon came and stood next to the other man and looked down at him.

"And you are? Why?" Daniel tilted his head to look at him curiously. "What makes you better for me than him?

"Well, maybe I'm not better yet, but I have a lot more potential." Jon sat down on the couch close to the other man. "I was talking to Doc; she says that if I don't make the same mistakes that he's made, then I won't have any of his problems." The younger man slid closer to Daniel and put his hand on his knee. "I can accomplish more because I won't make the same slip-ups he's made. I can get the grades he didn't get, do the things he didn't do and not make the mistakes he's made. George...General Hammond has already recommended me for the Academy...he says I'm a shoo-in. I can behave myself, fill in all the blanks and make Colonel by the time I'm thirty."

Daniel looked at him with concern. "Jon, that does not include having a male lover and you know it."

"Hey, he hid it for all these years, so can I."

"He had a wife...and a son." Daniel shook his head. "You'll meet someone your own age, Jon. You won't want me then. You'll want a beautiful young woman who can give you children and a good happy life, someone like Sara."

"Daniel," Jon took a deep breath and looked away. "Daniel, I don't think I can do that again..."

"Yes, you can!" Daniel looked at him affectionately. "Jon, you were a great Dad. You loved Charlie. You won't make the same mistakes again...you can have two, three or more kids. You can give them what I never had, what you gave to Charlie. Jon...Jack...You owe yourself this new chance at a life that you were denied. Take it and run with it. Don't tie yourself to me, to a relationship you don't want or need. You don't really want me, you just think you do. Be a father, let Jack be a Grandfather, don't cheat yourself out of a real life that you deserve."

"Make him a what?" Jon demanded. He looked at him in confusion through his pain of rejection.

"Well, why not?" Daniel smiled at him. "The ages are right. You're just about the same age that Charlie would be. Don't you know that's what Jack's afraid of? That's what he's seeing?"

Jon looked stunned at the revelation. "Oh my God."

The other man nodded at him. "So you see, you don't need me...not at all. But Jack, well, he does. And, he may not know it yet, but he needs you...to be you...to have the chance that he lost." Daniel glanced at his watch. "Now, look. It's almost five o'clock. I'm going to go and get Jack. Why don't you wait for us here? I'll be back shortly."

Jon nodded thoughtfully. Suddenly it seemed as if he had a lot to think about, things that took on a whole new direction than why he came here.

Chapter 2 Jack's House

The three of them left the mountain in Jack's truck and headed to the O'Neill house for the Christmas weekend. The truck was quiet, what little conversation occurred was strained and halting. They first stopped by Daniel's room in the VIP quarters area, then Jon's apartment to pick up some clothes and other items that they would need. When they finally reached the house Daniel and Jon unloaded their gear. Jack dialed the pizzeria and ordered his usual, then as an afterthought he added a two liter bottle of Coke to the order.

Jon had carried his bag into the guestroom and started to get settled in. Daniel did the same, bringing his few belongings into the master bedroom. Noticing the Daniel's destination, the teenager sighed and went to the fridge and helping himself to a beer.

"Hey," Jack looked over from the sink area and objected. "What's with the beer?"

"I'm thirsty. Do you want one?"

"You're not old enough for a beer."

"Considering I was born in nineteen fifty-three, I'm plenty old enough. Do you want one or not?"

"For crying out loud, I'm gonna get raided."

"Jack," Daniel came out of the bedroom. "Leave him alone. You two are not going to fight the entire time."

Jack looked at him in frustration. "I wasn't drinking beer at his age."

"You were too, so just give it up...Jack." Jon shot back.

"Key-rist, how did I let myself get talked into this anyway?" Jack groused to himself.

"Hey, this wasn't my idea..." Jon returned.

Daniel stepped between the two O'Neill's. "No, it was my idea! Now both of you stop it or I'm calling a cab...for me! I'll go back to Cheyenne Mountain and we'll all be miserable. You two want to give me a Christmas present? This is it, behave yourselves."

The two combatants paused a moment then backed off. The one thing they both wanted was to make Daniel happy, even if they had to suffer a little bit to do so. Finally, Jack accepted the beer from Jon, went over and flipped on the television. In a short while, the pizza arrived and to keep things quiet, they all drank the coke with it.

"So," Jack started, trying his best to be civil to the younger man. "How are you enjoying school?"

"Well, actually, I am...enjoying it, that is." Jon answered. "I resisted going out for football and only tried out for the hockey team." He took another bite of his pizza. "I made the first string."

Jack perked up. "That's great."

"The coach says I'm a natural."

"Well, of course you are." Jack nodded. "You'll have to let us know when you have a game."

Daniel smiled at the two, glad to see this progress. "How are your grades?"

"No problem there, the history teacher is cool." Jon smiled as he thoughtfully chewed his pizza. "He's a Viet Nam vet and we talk military tactics a lot in class. I don't agree with him on the Middle East though. He thinks we actually won the war. I'm telling him we aren't through there yet." He shrugged. "I'm sort of a teacher's pet, I guess."

"And your other classes?" Daniel prompted.

"Well, my English teacher is surprised at my writing ability though she still catches me on a few points. The math guy is okay, but I was always strong there anyway. Health is a joke and I'm passing Driver's Ed with flying colors. George had to sign for me to take the class and next month I can get my driver license." He smiled at Jack's nod, then laughed, "I used Daniel's birthday so I could get it at the end of the semester." At their looks, he said. "I have to be fifteen and six months to get a license in this state. July just worked out better for me. Next semester, I take Government and I think I'm gonna have to cool my opinions and just suck up to the teacher. He's a democrat."

"I'd like to sit in on that class," Jack mused. "You gonna re-educate him?"

Jon shook his head sorrowfully. "No, I don't think so; he's got a bumper sticker on his car that says he's a yellow dog democrat."

Daniel looked at him curiously. "What does that mean?"

The two O'Neills glanced at each other then Jon explained. "It means that if a yellow dog ran for office on the Democratic Ticket, he'd vote for him."

"Ouch." The archaeologist laughed. "I'll pass on commenting on that one."

They sat a moment watching the television. Finally, Jack asked the question they'd all been thinking. "Are you dating anyone?"

The teenager shook his head. "No, I'm not. It just doesn't seem right somehow. They're just kids. I'd feel like I was baby-sitting Cassie."

"It'll get better," Daniel commented. "Girls mature faster than guys do. By the time you graduate from High School, it won't be so difficult to relate."

"That's kind of the problem isn't it?" the younger man said. "Girls."

"Did you have that problem the first time?" Daniel glanced at Jack. "I mean you were married after all."

"Sara was special." Jon shrugged.

Jack nodded. "I've learned, we've learned, that the sex of a person isn't what attracts...its the person themselves." He looked at Jon, "I know what you mean."

"Maybe I'll meet someone in college." Jon finished his soft drink, grimacing at the sweet taste. "I just don't know."

Jack looked at Jon, Jon looked at Jack and they both looked at Daniel. Daniel looked down at the empty pizza box. "I'll just take this into the kitchen," he said with forced lightness. "Don't kill one another while I'm gone."

When he left the room, Jack cleared his throat. "Um, what college are you thinking of? Are you going to the Academy?"

Jon shrugged. "I don't really know, George will sponsor me but he's not pushing. He says he'd understand if I wanted to go the civilian route this time."

Jack looked at him. "Well, that would be interesting."

The two of them sat for a moment in awkward silence. Finally, Jon made the move. "Look, Jack, I uh, I think I'll hit the hay...it's been a long, weird day."

Jack nodded as he stacked the plates and rounded up the empty beer bottles from the coffee table. "Okay, I understand." The older man nodded, "If you need anything..."

"Hey, I think I can find it, but if not...well, I'll yell." He glanced towards the kitchen door but turned and headed up to the spare-bedroom.

Daniel came back out of the kitchen. "Where's Jon?"

"He's gone to bed." Jack nodded towards the guestroom. "Shall we follow his good example?"

Daniel approached Jack where he still sat on the couch. "Sure, I'm game."

"No, Danny, you're prey."

\-------

The next morning, Jon woke up at his normal hour of five. He invariably got up at this time to cook breakfast, get dressed and prepare for school. His bus came at six thirty so it was necessary. Next year, he'd be able to drive age wise so he'd buy a vehicle of some sort. He would probably have to seek George's assistance with the pricing of one though. He'd discovered that sales people wouldn't take him seriously at his apparent age. They had difficulty with the concept of even an emancipated fifteen-year-old having enough money for a major purchase such as a car.

Getting out of bed he wandered into the kitchen and helped himself to the coffee machine preparing enough for himself, Daniel and Jack. It was becoming easier to think of Jack as someone else, another person with wants and needs that were different from his own. What was hard was thinking of him in the other room with someone that he loved.

He remembered that on these cold mornings when he would awaken. His left knee would be hurting and he'd be a little stiff in the back. It would make him unhappy and grouchy until he was able to get a hot shower and a cup of coffee. He wouldn't take any aspirin, putting it off as giving in to the everyday discomfort of an aging body.

He also knew that Daniel had slept in the same bed as Jack, and they'd probably had sex before going to sleep for the night. That was the hard part.

Jon O'Neill loved Daniel with the same passion and depth that Jack O'Neill did. There was no help for it. But just like he had sublimated his feelings when Daniel was still searching for Sha'uri, he was forcing them back down inside himself now. Jack needed Daniel, a lot more than he did. That he wanted to grab the archaeologist, throw him down and kiss him senseless didn't matter. It wasn't going to happen. And it wasn't because Daniel was a lot stronger physically than he was now. It was because the man saw him as a duplicate of the person he loved. 'His' Jack was there in bed with him, snoring in his ear. The kid in the kitchen was just someone else who was going to grow up to look like his Jack.

Jon poured himself a cup of coffee and stood at the sliding glass kitchen door staring out at the large back yard that he'd mowed hundreds of times before. He looked over the deck that he himself had built using his own two hands to fashion the redwood into just the pattern he'd wanted so that he could enjoy it. But it wasn't his deck anymore, it wasn't his yard anymore, and Daniel wasn't his lover anymore. His life sucked.

Jon heard some sounds coming from the bedroom area then a step entering the kitchen. He didn't turn around when someone came into the room behind him. There were only the three of them in the house, and he knew it wasn't Daniel up at this early hour.

When he finally turned around, Jack was sitting at the table nursing a cup of coffee. The older version of himself nodded. "Good job on the coffee."

"Thanks, I had the same teacher." Jon pulled out the chair opposite him.

"Yep." Jack acknowledged.

"At the same time you did."

"I know, I can tell you when you learned."

"Yep."

The two sat without talking. "So," Jon started. "How are you doing?"

"The same. The knee's a little tricky, kind of weather contingent."

"Hum, too bad."

"Yours?" Jack asked curiously.

"No, actually, mine is fine. No pain, no problems, no backache either." He smirked just a little. "The doc says if I behave myself and don't screw them up like you did, I won't have those problems."

"Well, that's something." Jack agreed.

"I suppose." Jon looked at him over the cup's rim. "How're things with Daniel?"

"Good, slowly but surely everything's coming back to him. Everything except the ascended gig. We think that's pretty much gone, though he's recalling things that have to do with us." He sat quietly. "He remembered seeing Braytac and Ryac being held in a slave camp. Because of that, we were able to get them out."

Jon looked impressed. "That's cool."

"He says he doesn't remember coming to me when I was a guest of Baal." Jack shrugged. "But I think he remembers a little."

"So why won't he admit it?"

"I think it bothers him."

"Oh," they sat together in silence for a while. "But how is he physically? He's not suffering any long lasting problems is he?"

"Don't you know?"

"If you remember, I happened pretty close to his return. He was still mostly lost when I knew him as you." Jon frowned, "He was still kind of following everyone around then. Everyone except me, you, us."

"Yeah, that's right."

"So how did he finally remember our your relationship?"

Jack took a sip of coffee. "It was a night like last night, the team was over for pizza and a movie and when everyone else had left, he figured it out. He wasn't positive at first, but I reassured him."

"So you've been sleeping together now for several months?"

"About two months. It wasn't right away."

"I wondered, he found that pair of silk boxers in your drawer when we were looking through your stuff trying to figure out what happened when I showed up." Jon smiled. "I think that's what started the ball rolling."

"Oh." Jack was silent again for a long time. "Did you do...anything?"

"Nope, I was a good boy...though now I regret it." At Jack's look, Jon smiled. "It was my last chance...and I blew it. When you reappeared, it was all over for me."

"What do you mean?"

"Man, he's so in love with you I'm not even a blip on his radar."

"And you?"

"What do you mean me? I'm yesterday's news. I still love him like crazy, I always will...but it's useless. As long as you're around, he doesn't see anyone else."

"I'm sorry."

"No...no you're not, you're so happy you're glowing. You're just not gonna rub my face in it anymore than you have to." Jon finished his cup of coffee. "Nice of you." He got up crossed to the sink and rinsed it out, setting it on the counter to dry. "You know what he said to me?" At Jack's curious silence, he continued. "He said I should find a nice girl, get married and give you grandkids."

"What?" Jack choked on his coffee.

"I swear to God. He did." Jon leaned on the counter top. He'd have cried if he thought it would do more than embarrass himself in front of the other man.

"I didn't..."

"I know," he said his voice breaking a little. He cleared his throat. "Hey, next time you see Thor, will you do me a favor?"

Jack got up and walked across the kitchen to stand next to him. "Sure, what?"

"Find out what the going price is for a Daniel clone. I'll order one for Christmas."

Chapter 3 The Mall  
After Daniel had awakened and the three had breakfasted, Jack looked over at Jon. "I know this was rather sudden for you. Do you need to do anything to get ready?"

Daniel smiled and nodded. "I need to finish my Christmas shopping, if you could drop me at the mall, I'll catch a cab home."

Jon looked a bit embarrassed. "Yeah, me too. I wasn't sure where I'd be so I need to pick up a few more things."

Jack eyed them both. "I can do this but I'll be there at the mad house with you so it's not a problem. Does anyone need any cash? I don't know what shape either of your finances are in...It's not a problem believe me."

Jon looked at him. "Nope, I was awarded a cost of living allowance from the military when I was emancipated. I'm good. No diamonds or mink coats in anyone's future...but I'm okay."

Daniel just smiled and shook his head. "They finally got my pay sorted out, Jack. Thanks though."

"Okay, but don't hesitate to ask."

The ride to the mall was fairly quiet. Jack caught Jon looking at Daniel but didn't comment on it. He trusted Daniel to keep the younger man in perspective and he knew Jon would never force anything on the other man that wasn't asked for. It was a weird feeling, them all together. Could he be jealous of himself? Should he be? If Daniel did give Jon affection, should he be bothered by it? He finally gave up on it and just concentrated on the heavy traffic.

After finally getting to the mall and finding a place in the overflowing parking garage, the three guys succeeded in entering the actual shopping area. Jack looked worriedly at his two charges. "Are you sure that you want to split up? There are a lot of people here."

Both Daniel and Jon looked at him oddly. Jon finally spoke, sounding a little mystified. "I think we can manage, Jack. Neither of us is particularly helpless."

"I know, I know, you're a trained teenaged killer and he's been traveling the known universe for the past year. But, well, you know..."

"Yes, Jack." Daniel smiled at him perceptively. "We know."

O'Neill looked at him with a grin. "Okay, shall we meet back here in say four hours?" At their looks, he added. "I'll buy lunch."

Jon and Daniel nodded, agreeing to the plan and the three went their separate ways.

Jack headed for his favorite men's shop. He had a good idea of what to get the other two. He'd been postponing buying Daniel his last present. He still had not replenished his wardrobe since his return and Jack knew that the one item that the younger man always put off purchasing was a good heavy winter coat. As for Jon, he suspected that his younger self was in similar circumstances.

Going in the clothing store he was immediately greeted by a clerk. He explained what he wanted and he was guided to the correct area. Several hours later, he had completed his search and was headed back to the food court. Arriving there a little early, he found an empty table and waited. Soon he saw Daniel coming into the large open area. He acknowledged Jack with a wave of his hand and approached the table carrying a briefcase-sized box.

"Hey there, whatcha got?" Jack asked curiously. Daniel slid into his seat next to Jack. "It's for Jon, a laptop." He shrugged. "I figured he'd need it for school."

Jack nodded. "Cool."

"What did you get him?"

"Underwear."

Daniel looked at him dubiously for a moment then laughed. "Yes, of course. What else would it be?"

"and a bomber jacket." He smiled. Jack enjoyed hearing the sound of Daniel's laughter. Then he noticed Jon approaching from the shopping area of the mall.

"Hey, " He pulled a chair up to where the two men were sitting.

"Hey yourself." Jack greeted him then pointed to the surrounding shops. "Chinese or Italian?"

After a quick meal, and a lively discussion, Daniel headed off again on another mysterious errand. Jon looked at Jack with embarrassment. "Uh, Jack..."

"Yeah?"

"You know that offer you made earlier...about a loan?"

"I don't recall a loan, but I've got extra cash if you need it."

"Well, I found something I'd really like to get Daniel, but it's a bit steep for me right now." Jon turned an interesting shade of embarrassed red.

"I think we can handle that. What is it? Can you tell me?"

"C'mon, I'll show you." The two got up from the table and Jon led the way into a corner of the mall where the specialty stores were located. There was a small antique shop in a very secluded back corner.

As the entered, a woman of probably Middle Eastern descent and of indeterminate age greeted them. "Hallo, I see that you have returned for the piece."

"Well, lets just say I've come back." Jon nodded at her noncommittally.

"I think it is for you to give a friend, yes." She looked at Jack. "You have brought your father now."

Jon looked at the man at his side with shock. Jack grinned at him and spoke quickly to ease his mind. "Yeah, so, what's this special thing you have to show me?"

"I have taken it off the shelf for you." She looked past Jack at the younger man. "I knew you would be back." Then she glanced at Jack. "I will get it. Please wait." She nodded and went to the back of the old fashioned wooden counter.

The elder O'Neill looked at Jon, "Well, that's mysterious."

"Yeah, she has a way with it doesn't she." The youngster nodded, looking after the woman.

"A way with the blarney, that's for certain." As they waited, they began to look at the other pieces displayed in the various nooks and crannies of the shop. Then, Jack saw something that caught his eye. "Look at this." He pointed it out to Jon.

"Oh, wow, that wasn't here before."

Jack was pointing at a claddagh ring. The band was of woven Celtic design that became two hands clasping a heart and topped with a crown. In the center of the heart where the hands joined was set a tiny ruby that sparkled with an inner luminescence. Jack glanced at Jon. "Would you rather..."

"No, I'm satisfied with my find." He shook his head, "but I think that you should, if you want."

Jack nodded, thinking.

In a few minutes, the woman returned with a rectangular box five inches long by three inches wide by one inch deep. She handed it to Jon who turned to Jack. He pushed a hidden button on the box and the top opened to reveal a medallion on a leather thong. It was a three-inch long ankh made out of Lapis Lazuli. The fittings that held the stones together were copper and it was carried by a copper serpentine linked chain. The semi-precious stones were carved into a three dimensional design. It was obviously very old and beautifully made. It had Daniel written all over it.

Jack mutely pulled out his credit card and handed it to the woman.

Jon looked up at him. "Thanks Jack."

"Just be sure I'm there when he opens it." They smiled easily at each other. Then Jack looked to the woman and added, "and there's a ring here I want also."

She nodded and they went to retrieve the ring from it's resting-place. "This must be for a very special person, to warrant two such powerful talismans. She disappeared to the back to process the credit card.

After purchasing the amulet and the ring, the two went outside the store and walked slowly up through the mall, just silently window-shopping. Neither of them said much just enjoying the people in the holiday spirit.

Finally, Jon spoke. "I'll pay you back."

Jack looked at him and shrugged. "I know, no hurry, just whenever." After several more moments of silence, Jack said. "You know, you don't have to. You earned the money the same as I did...well; actually, you were me when we did it."

Jon returned his look. "Not really. We're two different people now. I have to earn my own way." The younger man concentrated on walking again.

"I know, and you will. But now, well, you're fifteen. It's harder for you. People don't want to take you seriously...but I know better."

"That's not what you thought before." Jon looked straight ahead as they wove their way through the holiday crowd.

"Yeah, well, that was BD, and you know how that is."

"BD?"

"Before Daniel. Before he explained it to me. You know just about the time I think I've got it all figured out, then Daniel shows up and tells me different." Jon looked up at him; Jack met his eyes.

Jon smiled at him then said thoughtfully. "He was the first one, ya know."

"The first one?" Jack looked at his younger self.

"Yeah, on that first day when I woke up like this and went into the mountain. I was locked up in the security area. Hammond thought I was crazy, Teal'c wanted to know how I knew all your secrets and Carter said it was impossible. Then Daniel shows up and says, 'Sounds like Jack.' He laughed disparagingly. "Leave it to Danny."

"Yeah, I'm not surprised." They walked into the food court area again. "You want a cup of coffee?"

"Okay," Jon sat down at the same table they had lunch at. Jack brought them both a cup. As he sat down and handed the younger man a cup he looked at the container suspiciously. "What?"

"It's not hot chocolate is it?"

"No, why should it be."

"Never mind, no reason."

"Look, Jon, I'm sorry you're in this fix," Jack said finally, "but I'm not sorry about Daniel."

Jon nodded. "I know. It's not your fault...it's not my fault and it's certainly not Danny's fault." Then he looked at Jack over his coffee. "But it does suck."

"I can imagine." Jack admitted softly.

They sat there for a while, then they saw Daniel. He waved at them and headed to the counter. He came over a moment later with a coffee in hand and sat down. "I'm through," he announced. He was over burdened with two more gaily wrapped boxes in plastic bags.

"Jeez, Danny. Did you buy the mall?"

"Um, I...no." He shook his head. "I tried to, I figured between Teal'c and I we can almost afford the initial price, but the upkeep would be expensive." Daniel grinned at the two. "How about you two?"

"Yeah. I think we're pretty much done, right Jon?"

He nodded. "Right Jack."

"Well, I think I found the right gifts for everyone." Daniel smiled at them. "That is if I'm remembering everything correctly."

As they walked back to the vehicle, Jack eased over and bumped his friend's side. He whispered. "Your smile is the best present that you can give me."

"Ah, terminal sappiness." The younger man rolled his eyes at Jon. "I hope you're not susceptible to sucrose overdose."

"I don't think so." Jon grinned back at them. "I agree with him."

Daniel just shook his head. "I'm not sure I can stand two of you."

"Well, I guess one of us will have to go then." Jack teased; looking at Jon to be sure he hadn't gone too far.

"Okay." Jon agreed easily. "Jack hit the road."

"Hey, I was here first." O'Neill looked offended.

"But I'm better looking and have good knees."

Daniel stopped in his tracks and shook his head. "Nope, this is not acceptable behavior. Quite it!"

Jon looked innocently at the pair. "He started it."

"Did not!"

"Did."

"Not."

"Did."

"That does it," Daniel started walking faster. "I'm leaving!"

Both O'Neills ran up and grabbed an arm careful not to jostle the packages he was carrying and called out. "NOT!"

Chapter 4 StarGate Command  
When they got back home from the mall, Jon headed for his room, Daniel headed for the master bedroom and Jack went into his office. He was pleased with his purchases. The coat that he had found for Daniel was a lamb's wool lined suede car jacket. The leather had been dyed a navy blue and he could imagine the color bringing out the blue eyes of his lover. And the ring that he had found in the antique shop looked as if it had been made for Daniel. Jack tried it on and it fit him a little snug, so it should be just about right. At first he'd thought of having the ruby replaced with a diamond but it had occurred to him that the red gem was his partner's birthstone so he decided it would stay as it was.

He also had been impressed with Jon's selection of a gift. The ankh was a beautiful antique treasure and though he knew Daniel wouldn't wear it often, Jack knew that it would always occupy a special place in its new owner's heart. Of course, he shouldn't be surprised at Jon's good taste. He was him after all.

Jack wrapped his two gifts for Daniel and the black leather bomber jacket that he'd purchased for Jon. It would be a little large for him right now, but since he knew how big the youngster would get he figured it was wiser this way.

He'd already wrapped Carter and Teal'c's gifts. For Teal'c he'd called in a favor from an old friend who was a martial arts aficionado. He'd asked the man to find a set of samurai swords for the big warrior. Teal'c had recently seen movie Last Samurai at the theatre then had selected Shogun for their following Friday night get together. The Jaffa had then mentioned training with a sword in similar fashion back on Chulak. Tony had not only found a perfect set but also had found a matching knife. Jack only hoped that he was not going to be instrumental for any injuries to a new recruit in the SGC's training program.

He'd gotten his second in command a new motorcycle helmet. Her old one showed some damage from the last time that she'd had to lay her bike down. She's had to take a controlled crash over being t-boned by a stupid kid in a Mustang that had sped through a stop sign. As an afterthought, he'd also gotten her a new brief case as her old one had suffered the same fate as the helmet, but with much greater wear and tear on the leather exterior. Thinking of Carter, something else came to mind. He picked up the phone and placed a call to her at her home.

Sometime later, Daniel tapped on the office door. "Hey."

"Hey yourself. What's up?"

"Well, I was thinking."

Jack sat down in his desk chair. "That's always a dangerous proposition. What about this time?"

"Well, it's about Jon."

"I'm listening."

Daniel plunged on. "I really think that we're being unfair to him by not taking a more active role in his life."

"Danny, let me remind you that he's not really a kid. He's...well; he's me only recycled in a younger, less damaged body. He can take care of himself."

"Yes, I know that." Daniel sat leaned back on the desk next to Jack. "But you're the one that keeps talking about how essential family is, how important it is to have someone to watch your back all the time. By cutting him loose like we did, we've denied him that. In essence, we're denying you that." He shook his head. "We've seen how he responds to attention. I don't want to just...."

"Wait a minute, Daniel. You'll get no argument out of me here." Jack sighed and shook his head. "You're right. I have been unfair. Hell, I've been downright cold. I was so freaked out over the whole clone thing I didn't stop to think. George did the best he could. I'll bet Jon even argued that he didn't need the small bit of contact that he did have, but I, more than anyone, should have known better."

"So, you don't mind if we keep in touch?" Daniel said hopefully.

"No, in fact, I'm very much in favor of it." Jack looked at him and smiled. "Now that doesn't mean that you jump headlong into the father-figure routine. I'd probably get really jealous over that."

"You don't have to worry." Daniel smiled at the older man. "One of you is more than I can handle."

"Now, speaking of Jon, I have another idea."

Daniel looked at the older man. "Should I be worried?"

"I don't think so." Jack smiled at him. "This is supposed to be a good plan for him. You know that project that Siler has been working on the last couple of months?"

"Yes, I think so.... Daniel looked at him with surprise. "What about it?"

"Well, here's my plan."

In a short while, Jack's cell phone rang and the two men came out of the house's office. Jack knocked on the guestroom's door. Jon opened it being sure to keep the door partially closed to block any unauthorized view of the objects secreted therein. "Jon, I'm sorry. We're gonna have to run back to the mountain for a little bit. It seems Daniel and I have reports that don't agree on some points." He looked back at Daniel who was shrugging into an unlined Air Force raincoat and shook his head.

Jon nodded. "I understand. Gotta get the work done."

"Yeah if I can get Nanook of Egypt here outside. For crying out loud, Daniel is that the best coat you have."

Daniel muttered through the gray woolen muffler something about not having time to go clothes shopping when they were on call twenty-four sven. As they left the house, Jack was deriding his lover about freezing off 'his' ass.

\-------

"So, Jack, you really think this is a good idea? He doesn't have his license yet." The younger man looked over at O'Neill as they pulled into the parking lot of the SGC.

"Daniel, I and therefore he, have been driving since before you were born." His partner put the truck into park and got out of the vehicle to brave the freezing air outside.

\-------

Sergeant Siler was waiting for them in the parking lot. There was only a light dusting of snow on the vehicles as he waved at the two coming from the big green F350. The three men huddled around an older model four wheel drive Ford truck that had obviously been recently repainted a gun metal gray. The interior looked almost new. When Siler popped the hood, Daniel headed for the warmth of the mountain's hallways and his office. Jack did not need his advice in the mechanical part of this matter.

Some time later, he was working on a report that involved the location of some unusual markings that SG-8 had turned up in a previously undiscovered temple on P3B427. Jack rapped on his door and came in to help himself to a cup of the freshly brewed hot drink from Daniel's coffee maker.

The younger man leaned back in his chair, and watched Jack visibly defrost. "Well, what do you think?"

"It looks like a really good deal. He's done a complete overhaul to the motor, put in a new clutch plate and a whole new muffler system. You saw that he'd had the seats reupholstered and the paint job was done by his son at the school's auto mechanics class. There's no air conditioner, but he said he'd put in a new stereo for us. "

"How much does he want for it?" As far as Daniel was concerned, if Siler fixed it, it was good.

"He wants twenty-five hundred for it, but he guarantees his work." Jack poured himself another cup of the hot liquid.

"That's fine with me," Daniel agreed easily. "Do you want to go half-and-half?"

"Well, I'm gonna tell Carter and Teal'c about it. Not asking, you understand, but if they want to put some money in, I'll take it."

Daniel nodded. "That's a good idea, that way it will be from SG-1 as a team." Then he looked at Jack. "What did he get me for Christmas?"

"Not on your life Danny-boy. That young man would have my hide if I spilled the beans...." O'Neill was rudely interrupted by the klaxons of the Stargate alarm and Davis's voice announcing "Unscheduled Gate Activation! The two men immediately started running for the Gateroom.

Jack headed for the observation room, his sense of duty as Second In Command coming to the forefront. Daniel headed for the Gateroom floor to assist if he was needed. As O'Neill pounded into the small room, Davis realized that he was there and called out "It's SG-2, Sir. Major Ferretti's team is twelve hours early...and I just got their ID code."

Jack watched as the SF's reached their final positions. He didn't see Daniel but knew that the archaeologist was waiting in the outer hallways, waiting, ready to assist their friends in whatever way he could. "Open the Iris, Sergeant."

The trinium iris ground open to admit one, two, who was being carried by three...a pause and then a fourth figure that suddenly collapsed on the ramp face down. The several staff weapon blasts filled the gate room with noise and light. Jack cursed and ran for the stairs shouting over his shoulder at Davis. "Close the iris, Now!"

Daniel had dashed into the room, dodging between the SFs who were scrambling for cover while trying to stay in defensive positions. A bolt of lightening in the form of a staff blast narrowly missed the running man. As Daniel reached his downed friend, another bolt from a staff weapon blasted through the Stargate. It looked as if one or both of the two men took the hit. Then Daniel grasped Ferretti's arm and slung the smaller man over his shoulder. He quickly leaped over the ramp's rail to the concrete floor below, ensuring that they both were out of range of more ncoming fire. Finally, the iris rotated shut.

The other members of the team were in various states of disrepair at the foot of the ramp. Jack saw Captain Thomas, Ferretti's second, limp over to where Daniel was assisting his team chief on the concrete floor. O'Neill headed straight for the other two members, one of which was being helped by her remaining teammate. "What happened?" He demanded.

Dr. Funichello looked up at him. The civilian woman was breathing hard and bleeding from a four inch gash on her temple. Lieutenant Jones was trying to staunch the bleeding with a handkerchief. The scientist replied, "We were taking core samples and I was videotaping some cuneiform that Jones had found. Then the village that we had been visiting came under attack by Jaffa. They had evidently come to the planet to collect hosts. It was the first contact that they'd had with the village in several years, Colonel. We had no way of knowing..."

She was interrupted by Doctor Fraiser and her med team as they ran past them on their way to the unconscious Ferretti where Daniel and Thomas had both been working on trying to stop the bleeding of the staff burn on Lou's back. Another medic came to the injured woman and pushed Jones aside to work on Funichello as she talked to O'Neill

A few minutes later, the injured Major had been loaded on a gurney and was headed for the infirmary. Fraiser stopped at O'Neill's side to report on his condition.

"He'll be all right, Colonel." She watched as her Medics wheeled the injured man to the clinic. "Not fatal, but a hell of a Christmas Present."

Jack nodded then glanced at the three remaining team members. "The rest of you go on and get checked out too. I'll have a quick debrief in one hour."

After the team was removed to the clinic, Jack looked at Daniel who had come up to stand by him. He examined a charred, bloody spot on the other man's upper shirtsleeve and said brusquely. "You're bleeding." He waved at a medic who had stayed behind to pick up some equipment.

"No, it's Lou's." The younger man protested.

"No," Jack peeled the burned and blackened shirt back off of Daniel's upper arm. There was an oozing burn mark. Daniel looked down at it in surprise. "It's yours."

"When did that happen? I didn't even feel it." He grimaced at the sight of his unexpected injury.

"I saw the blast go past you when you went over the rail. I thought it had hit Lou." Jack shook his head. "But now that I see your arm, you need to get that checked out before we go home."

Daniel flexed his bicep, unhappily. "I'm okay. If I go see Janet..."

"She'll treat you, fuss at you and I'll be satisfied." He leaned over close to his partner and said in a softer voice. "Go please. You know when you come down off your adrenaline high that's gonna hurt like a son-of-a-bitch."

At Jack's worried look, he finally nodded acquiescence. "Okay, I'll go," he groused. "But I'm fine."

"Yeah, sure you are. Look, I'm gonna do a quick debrief with Lou's team and then I'll come and find you in the clinic." Jack nodded. "Then I'll take you home and Jon can coddle you."

Daniel smiled gamely at him. "Promise?"

"You bettcha." Jack tried to keep the conversation professional as he shook his head at his injured archaeologist. "Now, go with the nice medics to Fraiser's domain of pain."

Several hours later, Jack passed by Daniel's office and found it still empty. He went to the computer, saved what the other man had been working on and turned it off. He got the lights on his way out. He waved at the security camera and locked the door before heading for the clinic.

When he entered the infirmary, Jack could hear Daniel attempting to do some fast-talking with Doctor Fraiser. He slipped into the clinic and leaned against the wall waiting.

"But Janet, it's Christmas Eve. I can't stay here."

"Daniel, you have a second degree burn on your arm. I would like you to stay here for at least the night." The Doctor frowned at her patient then reached for a needle from the tray by the bed. "Now, stand up, turn around and drop them."

Daniel twitched as she administered the injection. Jack watched and unconsciously winced in sympathy as the needle scored home.

After she finished with her patient, Doctor Fraiser nodded to O'Neill, then left Jackson alone in the cubicle to adjust his clothes. She walked out, closed the curtain and frowned at the senior officer.

"Yes, Colonel O'Neill, may I help you?"

"I just came to collect Daniel. He's spending the holidays with me."

She looked at him impassively. "If I release him from the clinic, that is."

"Hum, you don't mean you're going to keep him here? It's Christmas, for crying out loud."

"Yes, it is, and Daniel has a serious injury." She continued on into her office. "I would like to keep him for observation."

Jack followed her in and closed the door. "Doc, I gotta have him. It's kind of important."

"Look Colonel...I know you want him with you..." She looked up at O'Neill.

"No, Doc, you don't understand." He leaned a little closer to her and said in a low voice. "Jon's visiting...I gotta have him there...or there's no telling what will happen."

Fraiser looked at him in confusion. "I don't see...Jon? You mean your clone?"

"Yeah, mini-me. Look it's a long story, but, well, if Daniel isn't there, I'm afraid we'll kill each other or something."

"OH." Janet said with comprehension. "I see."

\-----

The two men finally left the base together after Jack did some major fast-talking and Daniel had groggily agreed to abide by all of Fraiser's medical stipulations.

Jack had gone and gotten the pain meds from the pharmacy while his partner suffered through a last series of shots of antibiotics and morphine. Daniel was feeling woozy from the pain meds and by the time they arrived home he was almost asleep in the truck.

Jack pulled his vehicle into the driveway, got out and went around to assist the younger man in exiting the truck safely. Daniel was leaning heavily on him as they came up the sidewalk. Jon was there, holding the door open and looking at them worriedly.

"What happened?" he asked tersely as Jack supported the other man up the few stairs and into the house.

"SG-2 was coming back under fire when Lou took a hit and went down on the ramp. Daniel went after him and was hit by an incoming staff blast." He got his injured friend as far as the couch then Jon helped him to make their wounded hero comfortable.

"Honestly, Danny!" Jon commented as he headed into the bedroom for a pillow and blanket. Returning quickly he helped Jack remove the other man's shoes and get him adjusted on the couch. He looked at Jack. "When you didn't get back, I went ahead and made dinner. It's cold now but I can put it in the microwave."

"Great, I'm starving." He looked dubiously at the now sleeping man on the couch. "What did you make?"

"Well, I had made some steaks, potatoes and peas." He followed the older man's gaze to their injured companion. "Do you still have some soup in the freezer?"

"Yeah, that would be better for Daniel...if he wakes up that is."

"Look, you keep an eye on him and I'll go warm up dinner." Jon gave a last look of pity at the sleeping man.

Jack finally got Daniel to a comfortable position and covered him with the blanket. Not willing to leave his lover alone, he settled in the chair next to the him and clicked on the television, keeping the volume low as to not bother his sleeping lover.

Jon came back into the room with a tray of food for Jack. Then he went back after his own meal. As they ate, Daniel slept on, oblivious to the low sounds of the television and their small talk.

After the six o'clock news, Jack started clicking through the channels until he heard Daniel stirring. The sleepy blue eyes rested on Jon for a moment then looked for Jack. The younger man noticed his friend was awake. He signaled Jack who immediately got up to check on him.

"Hey, how ya feeling?"

"Okay, kinna sleepy."

"Yep. Doc gave you some morphine and you went out a light." Jack assured him.

"Hey, buddy, you want some dinner?" Jon had gotten up and was leaning over the back of the couch to peer down worriedly at Daniel.

"You need some water or pain pills?" Jack asked the sleepy man.

"You want a steak or would you rather have soup?" Jon offered as he looked concernedly into his face.

"I could cut up the steak for you...." Jack offered.

"Do you want to sit up?" Jon suggested.

"Are you cold?" Jack asked.

"Does your arm hurt?" Jon inquired.

Daniel, bleary eyed, had been watching the two go back and forth like he was witnessing a tennis match. "Stop it you two," he moaned "you're making me dizzy." He announced slowly. "If you keep it up, I'm gonna be sick."

Jon looked at Jack and said, "Soup."

Jack looked at Jon and nodded. "Pain pills."

By the time they returned, their patient was asleep.

Chapter 5 Christmas Eve  
Several hours later, the two O'Neills had decided to watch an old favorite Christmas Special that was showing on television, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and The Island of Misfit Toys. They were sitting quietly across the room from each other when they heard a strange sniffing sound. Both of them immediately looked at Daniel. He was lying on the couch sniffling, with a tear making its way down his cheek.

Jack immediately got up and went to where his lover lay on the couch. He bent over and brushed the moisture away with his thumb. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"He wants to be a dentist." Daniel commented, referring to the character in the movie.

"What?" Jon demanded from his resumed perch on the back of the couch.

"He wants to be a dentist." Daniel sniffed loudly again. "That's so sad."

"Daniel, it's a cartoon." Jack tried to comfort him. "It's okay. He'll be a dentist."

"Jon?"

"Yeah, Danny?" The younger man leaned down closer to where Daniel lay on the couch.

"Do you want to be a Dentist?" he asked the youngster earnestly.

"Uh, no, Danny. I think I'm gonna be a pilot in the AF again." He assured his friend. "Like I was before I got reinvented here."

"You can you know. You can do whatever you want."

"I know that, Danny. George said that too." He smiled down at the injured man.

Daniel nodded solemnly, accepting his answer. Then he looked thoughtful. "Can I have some soup?"

The young man laughed softly. "Sure, buddy, soup it is." Jon gently patted Daniel's hand and went into the kitchen for the food.

"Jack," He turned and looked at his lover.

"No, Danny, I don't want to be a dentist either." He glanced towards the kitchen to be sure the coast was clear, then bent down and kissed his love on the lips.

Daniel returned the kiss and said soggily. "I love you."

"I know, Danny. I know." He stroked the injured man's hair gently then looked up and saw Jon carrying in a bowl of soup and some crackers.

Daniel struggled to sit up on the couch, but was having difficulty getting into a good comfortable position. Jack eased his arms around the younger man, helped him to an upright position and then slid in behind him for support. Jon watched for a moment then perched himself on the coffee table in front of the couch. Holding the bowl and wielding a spoon, he started to feed Daniel the warm soup.

Jack smiled down at his partner and then at Jon who shrugged. "He can't sit up without your help and he can't feed himself like this. It's not like I haven't done it before."

Jack nodded, placing a kiss in Daniel's hair. "Thanks though. You're being a bigger man about this than I would be."

Jon nodded, concentrating on getting the soup into the sleepy man. "It's not that I wouldn't take him if I could, but...I can't. He needs you, not me...and you need him." He shrugged. "At least I can see him, know he's all right." He looked up at Jack. "That's all we had for a long time and it's a whole lot better than last year."

Jack sighed. "I know, I remember." He looked at Jon with new eyes. Though his clone had the body and voice of a child, he had his eyes...old eyes. They had seen everything that he had, his Special Operations experiences, Charlie's death, Sara's leaving him, Daniel's ascension...Jon and he had the same person when he had suffered these things. He knew, he was Jack, just now he was on the outside looking in from a different perspective.

"Hey, I'm still here ya know...not deaf." Daniel mumbled from his secure place in Jack's arms.

They both smiled down at the half-asleep man between them. "Here eat some more soup." Jon insisted.

"Id be arrested yano." Daniel spoke around the soupspoon.

"For what?"

"Jailbait, Pul-ee-ce would get me sure...too young...too beautiful." He swallowed the soup.

"Now, that's the first time that's ever been said." Jon managed a laugh through his blush.

"Like a baby horse, all legs n big brown eyes." Daniel turned to look up at Jack. "Too young, all piss n vin-gar." Jack laughed at the shocked expression on his younger self's face. "Yep, he's gotta lot of living left to do."

"Stop it you two," Jon complained as he fed Daniel another spoonful of soup. "I'm not young; I'm just...reconditioned."

"Face it, Jon. You are young," Jack argued, "good knees, good back, a new chance at a life." Jack laughed at him. "Take it and run for the money."

"You watch it old man, you two keep talking like that, and I will make a play for Danny."

"Now, then, I'd have to kill you." Jack said easily with a chuckle.

Jon laughed with equal ease. "You could try."

"No! Stop it!" Daniel struggled up out of Jack's arms to come between the other two. "Stop, don even say that. No more killing, no more dying" Jon was hard pressed to save what was left of the soup as he ducked away from an adrenaline fueled flailing patient. "No more! I don wan anymore..."

Jack, realizing that they had upset his lover with their teasing, held on to him to keep the injured man from trying to get up. "Danny, Danny, easy buddy. Nobody's killing anyone. Okay, we were just playing, it's okay."

"No, no more playing." Daniel looked at them both with wild desperate eyes. "No killin, no more..." He turned his face into the broad chest of the man who was holding him. "Jus no more....."

Jack looked up at Jon who was obviously as shook up as he was. "I'm sorry, Jon. I guess I'm still a little bit jealous. I'd never hurt you."

"I know, Jack," He sighed as he headed for the kitchen. Then he stopped and turned around. "And I'd never try to steal Danny from you, I might daydream about it, but I wouldn't really try it."

Jack nodded at the truth. He nodded. "Truce?"

"Truce." Jon watched them for a few seconds as Jack cuddled Daniel to him, soothing him and stroking the short brown hair. He knew that even though he loved Daniel, that the object of his affection belonged to his older self. It was a hard truth, but one he had to accept...for Daniel's peace of mind.

Jack managed to get Daniel calmed down and on his feet. "I think its time for all good little archaeologists to go to bed so that Santa Claus will come and leave him presents under the tree."

Daniel wobbled a little as the older man helped him up the stairs to the hallway. "I'm sorry," he mumbled into Jack's chest. "I kind of screwed up didn't I?"

"No, Danny, you didn't. We were wrong, we weren't playing fair." He pushed the door open into their shared bedroom and aimed the sleepy man at the bed.

He sat down on the king-sized mattress. "I just don't want anything bad to happen, Jack."

"I know, it's all right." Jack pulled Daniel's shoes off and helped to slide his shirt over the injured arm. "It's not a problem; I was only teasing Jon." Next, he unfastened the belt and trousers and assisted in sliding them down over the slim hips and long legs. Then he guided the sleep-befuddled man back into the bed and covered him securely with the sheet and duvet. "I won't do it again."

Daniel smiled up at him and shifted on the soft pillow. "Come to bed?"

"Nope, Santa's still got to put in an appearance. So you be a good boy and let visions of sugarplums dance in your head while I go put the stuff out for tomorrow." He got up from the bedside and went to leave. He turned at the door and looked back. Daniel was almost completely buried except for a tuft of hair sticking out about the duvet. He turned and closed the door behind him.

Jon met him in the living room. "Is he all right?"

"Yeah, I think it was mainly the drugs Doc gave him for the pain."

"That and we were both going over the top a little bit." The younger man shook his head. "In all honesty though, I think it started with the movie."

"Yeah, he was taking that way too seriously." Jack nodded.

Jon continued. "That and I...you...well, we both know Danny is a little sensitive to the misfit thing."

"You know, I don't know why that is. I mean, he joined the SGC right off of Abydos. He shouldn't have fit in, he had no frame of reference for the military but he did." Jack shook his head. "Look at him today. Lou falls through the gate and who's the first one to jump in there...Daniel. Grabs him and goes over the rail...saves his life. All the other highly trained combat troops just stood around with their fingers up their noses and he does the hero thing."

"Yeah, just like Kelowna." Jon said softly.

Jack looked at him in surprise, then slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, just like that."

The two of them sat in silence at the thought. Jack looked at Jon. "I'd...we'd have done the same thing, and you know it. But I was up in the control room, Daniel was closer."

"Than Lou's own team?"

"No, or the SFs for that matter. But Daniel being Daniel..."

"...jumped out in the line of fire...again." Jon shook his head disparagingly. "Jack, I know what he did and why, but you've got to stop him from doing that anymore. We'll lose him again...and I don't know about you...but I can't stand it."

Jack sighed. "If I could I would, but I don't know how." They sat together for a few more moments, then he slapped Jon on the knee and said. "Come on, Santa's helper, let's get the stuff put out and go to bed ourselves."

\-------

The next morning, Jack awoke to a warm Daniel blanket spooned up against him. He lay there a moment, just enjoying the feeling of the living breathing body that was pressed up against him. After a few minutes had passed he finally had to get up and answer the demands of his bladder. Coming back to the bed, he slipped back under the covers and into his lover's arms. He lay there a long time, just watching the other man sleep, enjoying the picture he presented. But soon, he heard noises that heralded Jon's being up and around.

Sighing, he got up and hit the shower. Coming out from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel and still damp he crossed the room to kiss Daniel awake.

The younger man groaned his awakening. Frowning and blinking, Daniel finally made his conscious appearance by peeling the coverlets away from his face.

"Hey, you in there. It's time to get up." Jack teased.

"Why?' came the muffled word.

"Um, cause its Christmas and we'll be having visitors here shortly. Now, get up and help me convince everyone that you are not sleeping in my bed."

"I just did it to keep my feet warm, honest." The blue eyes peeked out and crinkled at him."

"Well, that's good, cause that's all that happened." Jack traced the sleepy face with his index finger. "Come on, Sleeping Beauty, rise and shine." The drowsy man nodded but when he tried to move his right arm, he moaned. "Hey, you okay?" Jack asked in concern.

"No, who did what to my arm...?"

"Don't you remember what you did yesterday? Lou Ferretti owes you big time."

"Oh, shit." The blue eyes blinked in remembrance. "I thought that was a particularly nasty dream."

"Nope, live and in color, how to make you lover stark raving nuts." Jack bent down and kissed him. "Danny, we gotta come to an understanding about this suicidal ideology that you insist on showing every time someone needs rescuing. The whole point of rescuing someone is for both of you to get away, not just to trade places with them." Jack stood up and frowned. "And I don't know how to say this to you without sounding cruel, but...well, sweetheart, you're worth a whole lot more to the program than a Lou Ferretti or even a Jack O'Neill. We're just military types, it's people like you and Carter that really make the program work."

Daniel sat up too quickly and grimaced his discomfort. "But Jack..."

"Nope," the older man held up his finger. "There was a whole room full of SFs standing there with their thumbs up their butts. I think the S in their title stands for Security, While your PhD stands for Pretty Hard to Do-without. We've proven that last year. So, stop it already."

Daniel looked up at his lover and blushed a little. "I'm sorry, not for Lou, but for scaring you."

"Oh, that makes me feel better." Jack smiled and shook his head. "And as much as I like the view here, you need to get up and showered. Santa came last night and left goodies. I figure Carter and Teal'c will be here shortly." He gave Daniel a hand up and steadied him on his feet. "I'll help you into the shower?"

"No, I'm fine." The younger man headed towards the bathroom.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Jack followed him into the small bathroom. As Daniel finished his necessary morning requirements, his lover turned on the shower to heat the water. "I'll stay right here," he commented as he helped the still unsteady man to stand in the tub.

"Jack, I'm fine. Thank you. Go check on Jon or something."

Jack chuckled. He had thought that his other self's presence had put a damper on Daniel's libido and the pain meds in his system weren't helping in the romance department either. So he let Daniel shower in peace and went back out into the bedroom, made the bed and got the room set to rights. He then pulled the bag of medical supplies that Fraiser had sent home with them out and laid it on the bed. When he heard the shower turn off, Jack went back into the bathroom to make sure that everything was all right.

He helped Daniel step out of the tub and wrapped him in a large bath sheet. "There now, do you feel better?"

The man relaxed into the warmth of the fluffy towel. "Yes, I'm still a little light headed though."

"I think the doc gave you some pretty good stuff, Danny." Jack carefully dried the area around the bandage. "Let me change this out and get it wrapped so you can get dressed. He led Daniel back to the bed where he had put his supplies out.

Carefully unwrapping the now damp bandage exposing the injury. He winced at the sight of the deeply burned arm.

There was a knock at the bedroom door and Jon's voice came through the panel. "Hey guys, Carter called. They're on their way over, put your pants on."

"Come on in, I'm just changing the bandage on Daniel's wound." Jack called. He could hear the door open and felt Jon's presence at his side.

"Damn, Daniel." the younger man commented with a grimace. "That looks really nasty. You're gonna have to quit this hero stuff."

Daniel flinched as Jack gently laid a fresh gauze dressing over the newly applied Silvadine cream. Then he wrapped his upper arm in a Kerlex bandage. "I couldn't let Lou get hit again."

"Yeah, but your ducking needs work." The younger man watched sympathetically as Jack finished the job up with some medical tape to hold the dressing in place. He leaned back and surveyed his handiwork.

"He's right, Danny. This is too close for comfort." Jack started packing the medical supplies back into its brown paper sack.

"All right, all right." Daniel groused. "I won't do it again, I promise."

"Until the next time. Yeah, buddy, we know." Jon finished for him. "Now, do you want some coffee with your Vicodin, or is Darvocet this time?

"Yes, please, and it's not that bad."

"Yeahchuryabettcha." Jon commented at he left the room.

Chapter 6 Christmas Day

Christmas morning had arrived, and the family that was SG-1 was all there. Jon had been appointed gift distributor and he'd handed out the gaily-wrapped packages. As they were opened, everyone had commented and examined their presents, well pleased with their gifts. At the last, after he'd passed out everyone else's boxes, Jon shyly handed the gold-wrapped box to Daniel. Daniel smiled and graciously accepted the gift. As he unwrapped his present, the young man glanced back nervously at Jack, who nodded and winked back at him.

The younger man carefully folded the paper and laid it aside to caress the worn wooden box and examine the intricate mechanism of the latch. Jack, unable to stand the suspense, finally commented, "You're supposed to open it, Danny, not do an archaeological treatise on it."

"But this is very old, and I don't mean fifty or sixty years," Daniel objected as he fingered the latch on the case. "Just the box itself is valuable." He looked at Jon. "Where did you find it?"

"Don't you like it?" the youngster asked with a worried look. "I do, very much, but it's probably several hundred years old."

"For crying...open the damn box, Danny!"

Giving the older man a disgusted look, Daniel finally clicked the locking device and the top came open in his hand. Daniel was speechless at its contents. "Oh, my God," he finally managed to get out. "This is...it's unbelievable, Jon! Where...?"

"I found it in an antique shop.... I'm not sure where it's from." He shrugged out his nervousness. "I saw it and thought of you."

"Jon, this is more than an antique. If this is what I think it is...this is a treasure...it's unbelievable."

"Really?" Jack asked, exchanging an interested look with Jon. "Is it worth anything? I thought it was pretty."

"Pretty? It's magnificent...it's a museum quality piece." Daniel took it out of the box reverently. "See, it's even set in copper, not gold or silver." He looked at Jon. "I don't know how much you paid for it..."

"Actually, it wasn't that much..." Jon looked at Jack, who nodded.

"Daniel, I saw the price and I thought it was undervalued," he assured his excited partner. "I think the clerk thought it was a fake. Are you sure it's real?"

"Oh, yes. Well, I think it is," the scientist modified his statement. "If it is real, and I have no reason to doubt that it isn't, it's probably two thousand years old."

Even Jack was impressed. "Okay, that's a wow. But how would it wind up in an antique shop?"

The archaeologist could only shake his head in amazement. "A collector could have died and his heirs didn't know the value of it and sold the ankh as a trinket," He shrugged. "At any rate, it's beautiful." He looked at over at Jon. "You could use this to pay for your college."

Jon only blushed and smiled at him with a shrug.

"But..."

"No, no buts." The teenager smiled a patented O'Neill kilowatt smile at him. "I want you to have it. You deserve it."

At Daniel's dubious look, Jack took Jon's part. "He's right, Danny. You appreciate it and you'll keep it safe. You do deserve it."

"Well, in that case," Daniel still looked uncertain as he indicated a present to Jon that had yet to be unwrapped. "You better get that one open so we can use it to find out what this really is...."

Dutifully, Jon opened the box with the laptop computer in it. "Jeez, Daniel, this is cool!" He fingered the keyboard, examining the machine. Then he glanced over at Sam. "Uh, can someone help me get it set up?"

Carter laughed merrily as she stepped in with a smile. "Here, I got Cassie's laptop up and running last fall. I'm sure I remember how. Let me have it." The two proceeded to turn it on and test it with Jack's phone line. Within a short while, after getting the new computer going, they were researching the ankh on it, talking excitedly. The rest of the group was taking an active interest in the play.

After watching them for a while, Jack pulled out the box from the clothiers with the leather bomber jacket. "Here, try this on." Jon opened the box then stood up to try on the coat. "Thanks Jack. This is cool!" He slipped his hands into the pocket, where he found something metallic that jingled at his touch. "Hey Jack, you left something in the pocket."

"No, I don't think so. Why? What do you have there?"

Jon looked down at the items in his hand. "Looks like the keys to your truck."

"Nope, I've got both sets in the kitchen. Must be yours."

"Come on, I don't have a car." Jon looked at him oddly. "You know that. I don't even get my real driver's license until next week."

"Well, I guess you'll have to get someone to take you down to the DMV..." Jack got up and waved him over to the window. Jon followed mystified. The older man pulled back the living room curtain to point at the gray truck sitting at the curb.

"What?" The young man looked at him in confusion.

Sam came up to his side and hugged the boy. "Well, you can't drive it until you get your license. We don't want to ruin your spotless record with a ticket so soon. You're probably the only Jonathan O'Neill in the history of the world with a clean one."

"But..." Jon looked from Sam to Jack to Daniel to Teal'c with a stunned expression on his face.

"Hey, it's not new, but Siler overhauled it, so you know it's good," Jack told him. "And he even guarantees the work. It's old but it's yours, with no car payments and the first year's worth of insurance is paid, too." He winked at Jon and Sam kissed him on his cheek. 'Merry Christmas from all of us. Just be careful."

Jon was completely shocked by the gift and looked back and forth to the four people in the room. "Jeez, guys..."

"Hey, enjoy. I mean it's not brand new, but if you want to trade it in, at least you have a beginning."

"No, I mean...its great." Jon protested, looking a little teary and shaking his head. "I don't want to trade it in. It's perfect. Thanks guys, it's just what I was looking for too. And if Siler fixed it, it'll be clean."

Sam laughed at his excitement, "Oh yeah; I helped him work on it. So did Teal'c. The engine's like new and he put this great stereo in it when the Colonel talked to him about buying it for you."

Teal'c nodded from his location in the large easy chair. "Indeed, it is solid."

"I can't believe it." Jon just shook his head in amazement. "You didn't have to do anything like this...I would have been happy with dinner."

Jack turned to Daniel, who was smiling at them from the couch and winked at him. "See, I told you we didn't have to do anything."

The younger man looked at him. "Jack. Shut up." He looked at Jon, "It really was his idea...and it was a good one. Merry Christmas, Jon."

Sam looked at the boy's sparkling brown eyes as he gazed longingly out the window. "Come on, why don't you give Teal'c and me a ride. You've got your learner's permit, right?" at his nod, she smiled at him. "Let's see if your driving has improved with all of these lessons you're getting."

Jon smiled at the woman and then at the Jaffa. "Think you dare?"

"O'Neill, while I have never been completely comfortable in your land cars, it has never been your driving that has caused my nervousness." He looked at the older version of his friend and leader. "It has been everyone else's driving on your roads that has concerned me."

As the three friends left to test-drive the new old truck, Jack headed back to the couch. After making sure his partner was comfortable and refilling their coffee cups, he settled down next to Daniel. "So, did you enjoy yourself? Need anything, pain pill, food, coffee, attention?"

"Well, it was annoying being hurt this time..." Daniel complained good-naturedly reaching for Jack's hand, pulling his lover down next to him on the couch.

"What? Cause we wouldn't let you join in any reindeer games?" Jack looked at him curiously. He put his cup down on the coffee table. "You're injured because you did a heroic thing...again. You know they're sort of beginning to catch up with you. You need to quit while you're ahead."

"Yeah, so you said," Daniel mused, then started a gesture, pointing at his lover with his index finger. "But, Jack..."

"But Daniel." Jack grasped the pointing digit out of the air with his left hand. He pulled something from out of his pocket and stuck the claddagh ring on the finger he was holding. "Merry Christmas."

"What's this?" Daniel looked at his hand to see what Jack had placed there.

"It's a little something I found in an old curiosity shop. Well, Jon found the shop. That's where he found your ankh. I went back with him and saw this there." He indicated the ring. "It's your birthstone so I just thought you should have it."

"Jack, it's wonderful. I've never seen one quite like this before." Daniel tried to pull his hand away to examine the ring.

Jack held on and kissed the finger's tip. "Then it suits, cause I've never seen anyone quite like you before." He grinned, then removed the ring from the index finger and placed it carefully on Daniel's left hand's third finger with the ruby heart pointing towards him. "There, now that means that your heart is taken." He looked over at the younger man. "At least, I hope it is."

"It's given, so I'm sure." Daniel leaned over and kissed Jack, wrapping his good arm around the other man. Jack cautiously returned the caress, conscious of his lover's injury." "How long will they be gone?" He whispered.

"Not long enough, I'm afraid." Jack shook his head. "But, we can cuddle anyway." He settled back on the couch.

Daniel leaned into his lover's strong body. "I like this...I've always liked you to hold me, it's..."

"Relaxing?"

"Nice."

"I'm nice?"

Daniel shifted a little to add to their contact. "No, well, yes, I've always liked your..." He shrugged, "your..."

"Protectiveness?"

"No, more like your sensuality." Daniel rubbed his face on Jack's shoulder. "Even the coat that you gave me...leather and fleece...very sensual. I love it."

"You weren't touched enough as a kid." Jack nodded.

Daniel smiled up at him. "You are not my father."

"I don't want to be your father, but I do want to hold you and keep you safe," Jack admitted, shyly. "But you make it so damned hard."

"What?"

"It...protecting you." He looked down at the younger man. "Jon's right, though...you need to stop taking so many risks. I couldn't stand to lose you now...again."

"Jack..."

"No, I want to say this once and for all. Daniel, I can't take this anymore. I've lost you nine times now. Eight times I've thought you dead. You break the rules there, too. Even a cat would give up by now. So, just stop it." Jack kissed him on the forehead.

"Eight?"

"At least, maybe more. I'm old, Daniel, and getting older. Next time, I may not be here when you get back."

"It's eight, if you count Apophis's training outpost." He smiled at Jack. "If you're not here anymore, then, I wouldn't bother coming back. I'd just wait for you over there."

"See, you're on your last life. So, just stop it." Jack shook his head.

"But two don't count."

"What? Why?"

"In at least two of them, you died too."

"Did not."

"Did."

"When?"

The training camp and on the Nox world."

"But we weren't really dead at the camp."

"See, it doesn't count." Daniel shook his head.

"Does too."

"Not."

"I still thought you were dead," Jack continued. "And that's not counting when Chaka kidnapped you, or you disappeared through the mirror or the Jaffa shot you on Klorel's ship."

"But I wasn't dead then, just missing." Daniel protested.

"Could have been."

"Well, I thought you were too, so it doesn't count."

Jack shook his head. "No more...do you understand. No more impossible rescues, no more sacrifices. Just...no more." He stretched out on the couch and put his arm around his lover.

Daniel had an impish grin on his face as he moved carefully to lean on Jack with his good arm. "But you'll come save me. You're the hero."

"What? Are you....?" Jack looked at him as he turned to face him.

Daniel watched him, then pulled his lover over to cuddle next to him. "Nuts? So I've been told."

"Me too."

"What? Nuts?"

"Yeah, nuts about you." Covering his lover's mouth with a kiss, he stopped his words. Jack drew back and gazed into the blue eyes.

"They'll be back soon. We don't have time for this right now." Daniel sighed.

"I know, you said you just wanted to cuddle. I'm cuddling." Jack pulled him closer.

The younger man nodded and leaned into him, laying his head on the other's shoulder. "Okay, I can do cuddling." Jack kissed him again and Daniel shut up.

The two of them sat on the couch, enfolded in each other's arms looking out into the front yard. The older man sat comfortable and satisfied, absentmindedly stoking Daniel's neck and shoulder. "Look," he pointed out the window. "It's starting to snow."

"I think I've decided that I like it." Daniel murmured softly into the soft sweater his partner was wearing.

"Oh really, Daniel of Arabia. You like snow?" Jack teased.

"No, I like sitting in here with you watching it snow." He yawned.

"Oh, I get it, a spectator sport only."

"Yes, that's me, an innocent bystander." They sat in comfortable silence, Daniel catnapping in his lover's embrace and Jack contentedly watching him as the newly fallen flakes settled on top of the old snow.

After about an hour's respite, the old gray pickup pulled to a stop in front of the O'Neill residence. Jack whispered to the sleepy man. "They're back." Daniel nodded and sat up on the couch. "You want some more coffee?"

"Yes, please." Daniel watched as the three went over the old truck again. Then he noticed something. "Uh, Jack." Daniel called out to the kitchen.

"Yeah?" his partner replied in an amused tone as he brought two cups back into the living room.

Carter and Teal'c had left vehicle and started up the walk. The younger member of the group had stopped and looked at the tailgate of the truck, letting his two passengers walk out in front of him. As they approached the front steps, Jon made a furtive move behind them.

Daniel gestured to front as Jack handed him the cup of coffee. "You don't think?"

"Oh, I do think." The other man grinned, looking out the window.

"But, it's Teal'c...and Sam...surely he wouldn't..."

About this time a snowball impacted the back of Teal'c's shaven head. The Jaffa turned to face his attacker. Carter, seeing the assault, tried vainly for a tactical retreat. However, she was caught defenseless in the crossfire between the two opposing parties.

Jon, being the quicker, was able to muster more ammunition for the fray and dodge more effectively. Teal'c, however, brought massive strength in the delivery and larger caliber snowballs. In a hopeless attempt at self-defense, Sam ducked down behind the yard's snow covered bushes. It did her no good. She was also viciously attacked by both of the aggressors. Laughing, she began to return fire on her assailants.

Daniel watched Jack's posture tense in laughter and anticipation. He smiled up at his lover. "You'd better go on. I think Jon's going to need some help."

The older man nodded as he watched the action with an enthusiastic grin. "You don't mind?"

"As long as I'm excluded from the soaking, I don't mind at all."

Jack looked at him and then kissed him for a long tender moment. Then he flashed a fierce grin at him, put his cup down on the table, and ran outside to join the field of battle.

Daniel settled back to enjoy the fun from his safe perch on the couch with a contented smile and his hot cup of coffee. This would be fun to watch from this viewpoint as the four warriors bravely fought their snow war. After all, he was safe and warm back where he belonged and all was right with his world on this Merry Christmas day.

Finish


End file.
